


Breathless

by AutisticWriter



Series: Whumptober 2019 [7]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: During Canon, Gen, Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Noise (TWEWY), Prompt Fic, Protective Siblings, Protectiveness, Quintuple Drabble, Siblings, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You Spoilers, Swearing, Sweet, Week 1 (TWEWY), Whump, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 10:36:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21073490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: After he gets distracted during a battle, Beat gets kicked by a Noise and ends up on the floor, winded. Rhyme rescues him and does her best to help.[Alternative Prompt 7 – Winded]





	Breathless

Beat is very fast when he zips around on his skateboard, but even he can’t always outrun the Noise. On the first day of the Reaper’s Game (Rhyme seems to understand the rules, but Beat still doesn’t get it), when he and Rhyme go hurtling through the streets of Shibuya as they try to locate the 104 building, they get ambushed by Noise. And whilst he and Rhyme are pretty good at fighting considering how new they are at this, Beat messes up.

He just can’t take his eyes off of Rhyme. He knows she can look after herself, but he’s just so scared she’ll get killed (‘erased’ was how it was put, but that doesn’t make sense) if he turns his back for even a second. And he has to protect her. She might not remember him, but he remembers her. So it’s when he’s staring at Rhyme as she fights Noise that it happens: one of them gets the drop on him.

Before Beat has the chance to kick it with his board, a frog Noise springs at him, smacking into his chest.

“Shit!” he yelps as the Noise slams into him, both amazed and horrified by how strong these things are.

The Noise hits him just below his ribs, and the force sends him staggering backwards. Pain flares through his chest, and it’s like someone just sucked all the air out of his lungs; Beat can’t catch his breath, and he stumbles and hits the tarmac with a thud, his lungs aching.

He gasps for breath, trying to breathe, but the pain in his chest throbs and his lungs won’t fill with enough air. He barely even notices when Noise start to approach, eyes glassy with the effort of trying to breathe. He puts a hand to his chest, but that just makes it hurt more.

Oh shit. he’s surrounded. He needs to get up—to protect Rhyme—but he can’t move.

And then, like magic, the Noise vanish, and the battle is over. Rhyme hurtles over, dropping to her knees beside him.

“Beat, what happened?”

“One’a those Noise… kicked me,” Beat says, his voice hoarse with effort. “Right in the… y’know, the solar system…”

Rhyme looks at him. She blinks. And she starts to giggle. “Beat, do you mean your solar plexus?”

He drags in another breath, managing a deeper one this time. “Uh… prob’ly. Can’t quite c-catch m’breath.”

“Well, it’s a lot of nerves, so being hit there really winds you,” Rhyme says. “Just try and take deep, slow breaths, and you should be okay soon.”

“Thanks, Rhyme.”

She smiles. “No problem. But… how’d this happen?”

Beat inhales deeper, lungs burning. “Uh… was just… distracted.”

“Oh. You should try and keep focused during a fight, Beat. These Noise are really dangerous.”

“I know… just… I, uh, was worryin’ ‘bout ya.”

“About… me?”

“Yeah. didn’t need to, though… you’re totally stronger n’me.” He grins through the pain. “Just glad you’re safe.”

Rhyme smiles. “Same to you.”


End file.
